Barbarian Bowmen
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x8 }} Barbarian Bowmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Barbarian Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Sawmill. Bowmen are the most basic Ranged Attack units in the game. Because of their very low initial Attack Strength, they generally don't pose much of a threat to anything but the weakest enemies, although they can become somewhat stronger through . Unlike most other Barbarians, Barbarian Bowmen don't carry weapons. Barbarian Bowmen have a Construction Cost of , and require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Barbarian Bowmen are a group of humanoids, each with brown hair and dressed only in yellow trousers. They carry bows and arrows, which can be fired at enemies from a distance. They also carry short swords for situations where hand-to-hand combat is unavoidable. Barbarian Bowmen are a , containing up to soldiers. Attack Properties Barbarian Bowmen initially possess very weak attacks, which will only be threatening to other low-tier Normal Units. Both their Melee- and Ranged Attacks have Attack Strengths of only 1''', which has an average "raw" output of - or rather, there is only a 30% chance for each '''Bowman to inflict any on the opponent, which may then possibly be reduced by it through a Defense Roll. In fact, unless they fire at a point blank distance of 2 tiles or closer, their Ranged Missile Attacks are even less dangerous than this, as they suffer a penalty of for every 3 tiles that the arrows have to cross on their way to a target. As a result, Barbarian Bowmen are highly unlikely to get through any armor at all. They do get better with though, both in the strength and accuracy of their attacks. At the level, the maximum normally attainable, they will do 4 times this much with both Attack Types - points of "raw" , on average, per Bowman. However, the range penalties for the missile attacks do still apply, although it's worth noting that the final chance To Hit can never go below , regardless of modifiers. Barbarian Bowmen also only have a limited amount of ammunition, and can only use their Ranged Attacks 8 times during any given battle. Defensive Properties Barbarian Bowmen wear very little armor, and possess a Defense score of only . They can deflect about points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average - which is barely anything, and leaves them extremely vulnerable. As with most common foot soldiers, each Barbarian Bowman also has only . In other words, each point of inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its . Their Resistance score is not impressive either. Even with their racial bonus, they only have - barely enough for a fair chance at avoiding even the weakest Unit Curses and other ill effects. However, all three of these statistics do improve with . Other Properties Barbarian Bowmen move at a slow , and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties. Basic Strategy Barbarian Bowmen offer the tactical advantage of Ranged Attacks, but are otherwise quite unremarkable. They are weaker than close combat units both offensively and defensively, and generally require or enhancement spells to have even a chance at becoming a worthwhile investment. This is partly due to their attacks suffering from range penalties , making their initial Attack Strength of almost worthless; but also because they cost more to both recruit and maintain than Barbarian Spearmen. As a result, they are overall less ideal for Town garrisons early in the campaign, despite their ranged capability. Compared to Barbarian Swordsmen, Barbarian Bowmen cost the same, and offer ranged offense instead of ranged defense. This gives them at least some strategic viability when defending walled Cities from melee attackers, especially if the gates can be blocked by a tougher unit. Other than this specific scenario however, they will require significant upgrades to be able to consistently damage anything in combat. Their low speed also means that they generally can't move and shoot on the same turn, and are thus incapable of using hit-and-run tactics. Therefore, to utilize their full potential, which calls for close range targets, they need a line of other units in front of them in open field battles, otherwise they will fall very quickly to enemy melee attacks. Because Ranged- and short-range attacks are mutually exclusive in the game, Barbarian Bowmen lack the signature of Barbarian units. This is likely the reason why they are not affected by the same Construction Cost modifier of either. However, it also means that once they run out of arrows to fire, Barbarian Bowmen are much weaker than other units of this Race, effectively marking them as a niche unit that can only really be useful in a very narrow range of situations. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x8 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 8 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Barbarian Bowmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both Warlord and must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of "raw" that each in a Barbarian Bowmen unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Barbarian Bowmen may be recruited in Barbarian Towns that have both a Barracks and a Sawmill already built. Because the latter Town Building further requires a Forest or Nature Node in the City's catchment area, it is not always possible to build, which means that this unit can not necessarily become available in every Town. The Construction Cost of Barbarian Bowmen is . They may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between to to hire per unit, based on their - or half that much for Charismatic Wizards. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Barbarians Category:Bowmen